By Asiri Fernando in The Morning, Apr 16, 2023
A controversial allegation made by Tamil National Alliance (TNA) Jaffna District MP Sivagnanam Shritharan that hundreds of acres of land from the north were being handed over to China as part of Sri Lanka’s debt restructuring process was yesterday (15) rubbished by Secretary to the President Saman Ekanayake.
Shritharan on Thursday (13) made the controversial statement at a press conference held in Kilinochchi, claiming that the TNA had received reliable information that the Government was planning to hand over ownership of 500 acres of land adjacent to Iranamadu tank in Kilinochchi and another 200 acres from Iyakachchi as part of the foreign debt restructuring process.
However, when contacted, Ekanayake told The Sunday Morning that there was no truth to the matter and denied that there was any such plan.
Attempts by The Sunday Morning to contact Government Spokesperson Minister Dr. Bandula Gunawardena and State Minister of Finance Ranjith Siyambalapitiya on the matter failed.
Addressing the press conference, Shritharan warned that Sri Lanka was misleading India, the regional giant, and was trying to use China to overcome its debt obligations through the alleged transaction.
A senior Cabinet minister who spoke to The Sunday Morning on terms of anonymity termed the allegations “baseless, ignorant, and unhelpful” during a time of crisis.
Attempts to contact TNA MP M.A. Sumanthiran regarding the TNA’s official stance on the matter failed.
https://www.themorning.lk/articles/5YTwL5pYOEIxJEuu0f1p
